1. Define your cheekbones Apply a shimmery powder with a big, fluffy brush to just the highest point of your cheekbones, and blend. (Try 2010 Best of Beauty Winner Lorac Perfectly Lit Oil-Free Luminizing Powder.) Remember to apply it after blush, so your cheeks aren't lighter than the rest of your face. And keep that brush for shimmer alone; the last thing you want is a matte face powder flecked with bits of glitter.

1. Strike a balance. If your makeup plan involves strong, smoky eyes, highlighter can add a radiance to your skin that will keep you from looking too goth. Makeup artist Gucci Westman recommends dusting a shimmering nude powder (we like it on the cheekbones, chin, and above the bow of the mouth for a look she calls "an extreme version of natural."

1. Brighten your eyes. For wide-open eyes, use a thin brush to dab a light, a shimmery shadow into the inner corners of your eyes. Then, keeping the brush as close to the lower lash line as possible, drag it outward to create a very thin line. (Try Bobbi Brown Sparkle Glamour Quad.)

1. Pucker up. Highlighter can even give lipstick a boost. It turns a berry or wine shade into sparkling mauve, and hot pink into rose. Choose a highlighter close to your skin tone, with just a hint of shimmer. Apply a dot on your lips, spread it with your finger, and then swipe on a layer of your lipstick. Use a lip brush to add more of either product for your desired shade.

1. Don't forget the rest. A touch of shimmer isn't just for your face: Makeup artist Pati Dubroff suggests massaging a dot of pearlized cream into the shoulders and collarbones. "Focus on the tops of the bones so it looks like the light is catching them," she says. For a finishing touch, Dubroff slathers the legs with tinted moisturizer and runs highlighter down the shin bones.